Not my day!

Miles:40 (planned miles 53)
Time: 3 hrs 10 minutes
Avg Speed: 13.5
Top Speed: 25.8

I have to say, when my husband told me he had arranged his schedule to come with me to Bikefest, I laughed. He told me that he didn't want me riding that far with him 2 hours away, just in case something happened and I needed him. (My husband is an ag teacher, with students showing cattle at the Perry, Ga national fair)

We arrive at Bikefest in Tifton. As he was airing my tires, the back tire popped. He carried my bike over to the bike mechanic to repair it. $16 later for a new tube, and labor for him to install it, I was on my way.

7 miles into my ride, the same tire, flat again! Since the rolling bike mechanic had already passed me a few miles back, my only option was to call Floyd. He came to my rescue with the air pump. As he pumped the tire, he discovered the tube was bad. I called the BRAG headquarters, and I could either wait for someone to come get me, or have Floyd drive me 10 miles down the road to the first rest stop where the bike mechanic was.

Bless his heart, he loads it up and off we go. When we got to the mechanic, he discovered a staple in my back tire. Being the great guy he was, he replaced the tube and did not charge me! Yay!

I've been cycling for 4 years now, and I have NEVER had these kind of issues!

I decided to resume the bike ride from the rest stop, to the 2nd rest stop in Sycamore, Ga, which is about 17 miles away. I was aware of the first hill, but since I haven't traveled that road in years, I had totally forgot how hilly that road was! I thought I was going to die! Apparently there were a lot of others who thought the same, since they were all on the side of the road. Floyd was waiting for me at the 2nd rest stop, where I got off the bike & walked around while he replenished fluids on my bike and checked my bike chain since it fell off between rest stops (due to switching between the chain rings) and I had to put it back on. (I am technically challenged!)

The ride back in wasn't bad. I met up with a few people from Atlanta, and they complained about the headwind. I laughed, and told them the headwind was nothing compared to those freakin hills!

When I arrived back to the Tifton Recreation Center, Floyd was waiting to grab my bike & load it for me. He wanted to go have lunch at Golden Corral, and even though I really wanted to go home, that was the least I could do for him.

As we were walking in the restaurant, he said "I'm proud of you, you trained hard and you had a great ride...oh and by the way, you could've road the 53 miles...easy"...

Lessons learned: I will learn to change a flat tire and I will practice riding hills!

Honeybee 5K

Dana
5K time: 40:08
turtle pace

Alison
5K time: 20:40












Alison and I had a great race at the Honeybee 5k. I took a minute off of my Race of the South time from 2 weeks ago. I'm proud, since my only training has been on the bike in preparation of the 53 mile ride next weekend. After Bikefest, I will focus on the Snickers Half Marathon in March.

Alison took 2 minutes off her finish time from Race of the South.

I think I can....I think I can.....

I'm thinking about this for late 2010 or 2011......

My 40 mile ride...

Distance: 40 Miles
Speed: 13.8 mph
Time: 3 hrs 6 min

This was a great ride. My original plan to was ride from my home in Moultrie to Camilla, which is about 40 miles one way. Since the fog was so thick last Friday morning, I decided to "due my time" at the local bike trail and not become a statistic on the highway!

I took this picture at mile 20 and was feeling great. My nutrition plan worked and I am ready for the 53 miler at Bikefest.

Meeting Scott Rigsby

Yesterday I had to opportunity to meet Scott Rigsby. He is a native of Camilla, Ga (and the nephew of my husband's vocational director) and also the first double amputee to complete in the world famous Hawaiian Ironman Triathlon.



Those of you who are unfamiliar with an Ironman, it consists of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and a 26.2 mile run....and it must be completed in 17 hours. The ironman is a grueling event that requires as much physical training, as it does mental training.



His new book "Unthinkable" will be released on October 1. I bought my copy yesterday, and I must say, it is quite impressive.



As I look at the back of this book it reads "9 seconds. That's how long it took Scott Rigsby's life to come crashing down around him. 16 hours, 42 minutes, 46 seconds. That's how long it took for Scott Rigsby to make history."


This book will inspire you. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

Cancer SUCKS!!!!

Last Thursday, as I sat in the Tift Regional Oncology Department with my Mom and Grandfather, I realized just how much cancer sucks. I've known for years just how terrible cancer is, but that day it really hit home.

My grandfather is 83 years old, and has been a chain smoker for probably 70 years. He was treated for lung cancer 8 years ago, and went into remission, which is highly unusual for someone with lung cancer. And now recently, he has been diagnosed with a "very aggressive" form of cancer with lymph node involvement.

As I sat there watching patients coming & going for their treatments, with their heads in hats or wrapped with cute scarves, I felt great compassion for these people.

Will we ever get a cure for cancer?

I feel that we should all LIVESTRONG and live our life to the fullest, since we never know what is ahead. So, if there is something you've always wanted to do....do it!

My 20 mile bike ride

Distance: 20 miles

Avg Speed: 13.8

I'm getting there...finally! I will be ready for the 53 mile bike ride on October 10. It may take me 4 hours to complete it, but I will finish!!

This is what I come across about 5 miles into my ride....YUCK! I'm glad it was dead since I'm deathly afraid of snakes.

Race of the South 5k

Wow! Today was awesome! Alison, my 13 year old step-daughter won this race with a time of 22:04. I am still excited!!!!

As for step-mom, my run left a lot to be desired! Thanks to the horrible cold that I got a few weeks ago, my training suffered and so did my 5k time.

Way to go, Alison!!

A few of my favorite quotes...

Every person needs to have their moment in the sun, when they raise their arms in victory knowing that on this day, at this hour, they were at their very best."-H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

"If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward." -Martin Luther King, Jr.

Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever.